Saturday, December 29, 2007

Yesterday we visited San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) to see the exhibit of the works of Joseph Cornell. He was what's called an "assemblage artist". I found plenty to inspire me. It seems to me that a collage artist reveals even more of the inner self than someone who creates art from raw materials. Because when you choose images that have already been drawn, interpreted, and then juxtapose them with other things or images, you create a new, ironic or deeper meaning. It's like interpreting dreams, when you see a snake in a desert, it's not just a snake nor just a desert.

I think being obsessive compulsive would be helpful to a collage artist. Perhaps all artists need a little of that. But to be constantly cutting things out of magazines and saving lots of little pipes and dials... where does one get these things? Today we are going antique shop browsing, and I'm going to keep my eyes open for little collections that could be incorporated into assemblages.

There has been a lot of cookin' and eatin' over the holiday week. I found that I mostly desired to make dishes that I had never made before, which is strange to do over a holiday, when folks expect traditional food. I found one recipe for sweet and sour chicken that was an instant hit and may make it again tonight. I made scalloped potatoes, which I like but had never made before. I baked an apple pie using my molassas pear pie recipe, which was delicious. We had a veggie casserole made with almond milk. I baked baking powder biscuits. The new oven is a dream.